17 Postcards
Jongro BBQ brings a lively taste of Korea to NYC with its bustling atmosphere, in-table grills, and a menu of delicious meats and sides spread across two floors.
"Several Korean barbecue restaurants have been featured in this guide, including Baekjeong and Tosokchon. They’re still great, as are others that haven’t made the cut, like Yoon Haeundae Galbi, but they’re leaving the list to make way for an affordable, any-occasion option you may already know: Jongro BBQ. The restaurant, an import from Seoul, Korea, occupies two stories of a Koreatown high-rise. The second floor serves standard Korean barbecue items, like beef brisket, pork belly, fried chicken, and kimchi stew. The fifth floor has a similar menu, plus several types of gopchang (grilled small intestine)." - Eater Staff
"An all-you-can-eat version of Jongro BBQ with a 100-seat capacity, opening next month." - Luke Fortney
"Jongro is on the second floor of a nondescript office building, and there’s minimal signage to point you in the right direction. But take the elevator up one flight, and you’ll wind up in an enormous room that looks like a small village that happens to be indoors. We typically get any platter that comes with pork belly—but the beef is great as well, and you should get some of both if you’re with a large group. Don’t be surprised if there’s a long wait. Put your name in and then kill some time singing Queen songs (poorly) at any of the nearby karaoke bars." - hannah albertine, neha talreja, bryan kim, kenny yang
"Jongro is on the second floor of a nondescript office building, and there’s minimal signage to point you in the right direction. But take the elevator up one flight, and you’ll wind up in an enormous room that looks like a small town that happens to be indoors. This is one of our favorite spots for Korean barbecue, and we typically get the platter that comes with a few large pieces of pork belly—but the beef is great as well. There will inevitably be a wait when you come, so put your name in, then kill some time at the karaoke bar on the 7th floor." - bryan kim, kenny yang, hannah albertine, matt tervooren
"To get to Jongro, you enter an elevator at the back of a nondescript lobby on 32nd Street and take it up to the second floor. You’ll then find yourself in a massive room filled with tables of people barbecuing their own meat. Jongro is one of our favorite Korean barbecue spots, and it’s pretty much always busy. They’re open until 1am on weekends, though, so you have plenty of time to make it over. If there’s a wait for your table, you can go hang out in the karaoke bar on the 7th floor." - team infatuation